It’s been a fruitful 11 years for Chef Jon Bonnell, owner of his namesake restaurant, Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine. Today the chef celebrates his anniversary of the restaurant in grand style, and will be pouring from his mammoth bottle until it runs dry.

Bonnell is native to Fort Worth with a rich family history. He graduated from Vanderbilt with the notion of being a school teacher. After a few years of teaching math and science, the chef took off to study at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. This is the same school attended as Dallas chef Abraham Salum and Food Network’s Alton Brown.

If you are looking for true Texas cuisine, check out Bonnell’s and their selection of grass-fed beef, or an assortment of wild game from nearby ranches. Bonnell is also adamant about using local produce and cheeses.

Bonnell is currently working on his second restaurant, Waters, Bonnell’s Coastal Cuisine, which should open in the Spring of 2013. There he will focus on Texas seafood with such dishes as his version of Oysters Rockefeller which is made with spinach and tasso.

Congratulations Chef Bonnell on a successful 11 years blazing a trail with your Texas cusine.